Barney, a family pet

You won’t find family pets in your ancestral tree but they are definitely part of the family. Once upon a time, we had a dog named Barney, the sweetest Cocker Spaniel you could ever have. Barney originally belonged to my sister Jennifer and it was her family who named him. I don’t remember why, but Jennifer gave Barney to Daddy while he was still a puppy. Daddy loved dogs and already had Spot, Barney’s brother, so he happily took him when offered. Like all dogs, Barney and Spot loved to run and play, and Daddy had a nice big fenced in yard to keep them safe and happy. Unfortunately, they tore up Daddy’s flowers, and Daddy loved his flowers, so he wasn’t happy about that. Around that time, our dog Murph, a Shepherd/Collie mix, died. Our oldest son Chris was around four years old then. Chris and Murph had been best buddies and Chris really missed him after he died. One day, Chris asked me, “Mommy, can I die for just a little while so I can go see Murph?” It broke my heart. The next time I talked to Daddy I told him what Chris said and his immediate response was I’m bringing him a dog—and he did. Before you knew it, we were picking the two of them up at Dulles Airport.

Barney turned out to be a good dog too. He was only a year old when he moved to Virginia and he had a lot of energy. Our yard was fenced in so he could run all he wanted to and he had a little boy to play with, soon to be two little boys. Like most dogs, Barney would run up and down the fence barking at people as they walked past our house. It didn’t take much to keep him happy.

He slept in the bed with the boys. Chris remembers he slept with him all the time.

Chris and Barney

When I look back at Christmas pictures, Barney was always right there with Chris and Kevin. Santa brought him treats too. Pig ears were his favorite. Barney was good about leaving the Christmas tree and gifts alone, but one Christmas I remember bringing a gift home from work that I hadn’t opened. I put the gift under the tree and we left for dinner, not worried about it since that hadn’t been a problem before. It turns out the box contained candles and Barney must have smelled something so of course, did what any dog would have done, he figured out which box it was and he opened it. When we returned home, the box and wrapping paper had been torn to shreds and were all over the living room floor, along with the candles. And there sat Barney in the middle of it all, looking guilty.

Chris, Kevin, and Barney

We used to take two week-long vacations every summer. The first one was to Florida. When it was time to pack the van, my husband would pull it up in the yard to make it easier to pack (we took everything but the kitchen sink). It’s like Barney knew we were going somewhere and he’d crawl into the front seat and just sit there, like he was waiting for us to get in and head down the road. We’d literally have to drag him out of the van when we finished packing. We couldn’t take him on that trip but he always went with us when we headed to Atlanta to visit my family. He never forgot Daddy and he’d go crazy when we got to his house. Kevin remembers how excited Daddy got as well when he saw Barney.

Daddy and Barney

Kevin, Barney, and Spot

     

Barney was pretty much a one trick dog. He’d shake your hand and that was about it. My husband remembers he wouldn’t let you get close to his bowl at dinner time. He’d growl at you if you tried to. Barney liked to look out the window and would sit on the back of the couch, which was the perfect height for him to see outside. As he got older, we had to keep an eye on him because he couldn’t keep his balance and fell off the back of the couch a time or two.

We lost Barney in May 2003. At nearly 17 years, he just got old. His health had been declining for a while and we knew his time on Earth was coming to an end. He got to a point where he couldn’t see and probably didn’t know what he was doing. He’d walk in a circle and hit his head on the furniture as he turned. If you didn’t stop him, he’d just keep going in circles. Other than old age, he didn’t have health problems so we decided to just keep him comfortable. But we knew we’d have to make a decision if it came to a point where he was in pain because we didn’t want him to suffer. I remember arriving home from work the Friday night before he we had him put down, finding him crying in pain. We knew it was time and called the veterinarians office right then and scheduled an appointment for the following morning. It was the longest night. We took turns sitting and hugging him, all saying our goodbyes. The next day, Charlie, Kevin, and I took him to the veterinarian’s office while Chris and his friend stayed home to dig a grave for him. When we returned, we put the box in the grave and then all stood there, lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes. Out of nowhere, Kevin says, “has anyone seen my baseball shirt?” We all looked at each other, none of us wanting to open the box. Finally, Chris’ friend said he’d do it and sure enough, there was the shirt. Turns out it had gotten caught up with the towel Barney was wrapped in when we arrived at the veterinarian’s office. The nurse must have thought we meant it for him and she wrapped him in both the towel and shirt.

It’s been a while since we had a dog and I miss having one. I’m hoping to get one after we retire.

Embroidered table scarf and pillowcases

Sam Lankford (ca. 1974)

It’s been a while since I shared a family treasure and because I’m behind on my research, I thought why not this week. Short and sweet.

My Daddy, Sam Lankford, used to do embroidery to relax at night. This was more than likely a winter activity because his evenings were spent in his gardens during the spring, summer, and fall months. If you follow my blog, you’ve seen his embroidered picture that won Best of Show at the Prince William County Fair in Manassas, Virginia or the crewel owl that I had made into a pillow for my son Chris. You would have also seen some of his quilts. What I’m sharing today are pillowcases and a table scarf he embroidered. I don’t know when they were completed but he gave them to me during the 1980s.

The first image is from a table scarf, you know, the kind you used to see at your grandma’s house. Can’t you just see Cinderella climbing into her pumpkin coach, on her way to the ball? I used this scarf to protect my hutch for several years but it’s been years since I put it away. Actually, I’m not sure where I put it. I know it’s in the house somewhere. I need to look for it!

The next three images are from pillowcases, so there are two of each. I’ve never used these pillowcases and at one point thought about framing them instead. You can see on the image with the pear that he used a pattern but I’m sure he added his own personal touch. His stitches were clean and tight.

I really don’t ever recall seeing Daddy doing any embroidery work so still can’t wrap my head around the fact that he created these beautiful pieces of art. I hope you enjoy them.

Mendie Octavia Hayes

Mendie Hayes and her sister.
I was told her sister was named Lucie
but after researching the family, don't see
a sister with that name.

This blog post is another in a series connecting the dots in my tree to the souls buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.

Mendie Octavia Hayes, daughter of Waddy Thompson Hayes and Nancy Rice, was born in Carnesville, Franklin County, Georgia on July 9, 1892. Her parents had their hands full with 15 children—Francis C. Hayes, Mary E. Hayes, Sarah Hayes, Alice Hayes, Margaret Hayes, Dora Hayes, Charles B. Hayes, Cornealyos J. Hayes, James Rice Hayes, Parkes T. Hayes, Nancy E. Hayes, Harrison (Henry) L. Hayes, Mendie Octavia Hayes, Bessie (or Dessie) M. Hayes, and Alex E. Hayes. Mendie would be the wife of my 2nd cousin 3x removed. We have no common relative.

On June 20, 1900, Mendie and her large family lived in Canon, Franklin County, Georgia. Her mother was enumerated as having had 15 children, 13 of which were living. Her father was a farmer, most likely assisted by his six oldest children who were all enumerated as farm laborers. Nancy, Harrison, and Mendie were attending school. In what had to be devastating to the family, Mendie’s father died at the age of 61 on Valentine’s Day 1907. He was buried at Carroll’s United Methodist Church Cemetery in Carnesville, Franklin County, Georgia. Mendie was just 14 years old when she lost her father.

On May 5, 1910, Mendie lived with her brother James on Jim Hayes Road in Canon, along with her widowed mother Nancy, sisters Dora and Dessie, brother Harrison, and niece Sara Casey. At 25 years of age, James was head of the household. He was enumerated was a farmer on a general farm with everyone in the home except for Mendie helping on the farm.

Mendie married Robert Chester Lankford, son of William Mell Lankford and Nancy Ella Young, on December 2, 1917 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. Together they had seven children—Robert Chester Lankford Jr., Nancy Lowe Lankford, Mell Thomas Lankford, William Norris Lankford, Vesta Mendie Lankford, Otis Young Lankford, and an infant son that did not survive. I believe her husband went by Chester.

Marriage certificate

On January 6, 1920, Mendie, Chester, and their son Robert lived on Lexington Road in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, next door to Chester’s parents. Chester was farming on the family farm. Both Mendie and Chester could read and write. Mendie was a new mother with Robert just eight months old. Daughter Nancy was born in Oglethorpe County in June 1920, son Mell was born in Canton, Georgia in February 1922. Sometime after Mell was born and by the time Norris was born in April 1924, the family had moved to Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which is where Norris was born. They lived in a house on Tremont Avenue during that time. Chester worked as a brick layer to support the family. Instead of being a joyous time for the family, Christmas 1926 turned into a very sad holiday. On December 22, Mendie gave birth to a baby boy. The baby was most likely born prematurely and hadn’t fully developed yet so they probably immediately knew he was in trouble. Dr. H. N. Abernathy attended to the baby, but his little body couldn’t sustain life and he died four days later on December 26. His death certificate recorded him as “Infant of R. C. Langford” so it’s possible he was never given a name, but I can’t confirm that. They buried the baby the following day at Trinity Cemetery in Charlotte.

On April 22, 1930, the Lankford family lived in a house valued at $1500 on Glenwood Drive in Charlotte. Chester worked as a brick mason in the public works sector. Mendie was kept busy keeping track of her five children ranging in age from 11 to a year and a half. They were still living in Charlotte when Vesta was born in October 1928 and Otis in October 1930. Sometime after Otis was born, the family moved to Missouri, settling in St. Louis. Their lives would be turned upside down when Chester died of heart disease at the age of 46 in Brentwood, Missouri on October 22, 1938. Now Mendie was left to raise their six children alone. Chester’s body was returned home to Georgia and buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown.

On April 13, 1940, a widowed Mendie and her children lived at 8913 Pendleton Street in Brentwood, Jefferson Township, St Louis County, Missouri. They had been living in this same home since at least April 1935. The census enumerator noted that she had an 8th grade education and wasn’t working. Her 21-year-old son Robert was an assistant timekeeper for a fire brick manufacturer with an income of $1100. Her 19-year-old daughter Nancy was a beauty operator in a commercial beauty shop. Mendie’s son Norris enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1943, serving as an infantryman during World War II. He was reported missing in action in Germany on December 16. Three months later, on March 2, 1945, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Norris was actually a prisoner of the German Government. At the time, Mendie lived at 459A Laurel Street. I believe Norris was released from captivity on May 1, 1945 and released from the Army on November 29, 1945.

In October 1950, Mendie probably received a phone call that all parents fear after her son Otis was involved in a car accident. He and his three passengers all suffered non-life-threatening injuries after crashing the car into a tree. In November 1951, Otis enlisted in the U.S. Marines, serving during the Korean War.

Mendie died in St. Louis, Missouri on December 30, 1979. She was buried beside her husband Chester at Bairdstown Cemetery in Georgia.

References

• “Among War Casualties from St. Louis Area,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, March 2, 1945.
• Charlotte, North Carolina, City Directory, 1925.
• Find A Grave Memorial 32145777, Mendie Octavia Hayes Lankford.
• Find A Grave Memorial 23490318, W. T. Hays.
• “Five in County Injured When Auto Overturns,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, October 5, 1950.
• Infant of R. C. Langford, certificate number 313, North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909–1976.
• Otis Young Lankford, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Robert Lankford Certificate of Death no. 36755, Missouri State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.
• “Scout Unit Notes,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, November 12, 1939.
• U. S. Federal Census, Canon, Franklin County, Georgia, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 1930.
• U.S. Federal Census, St. Louis, Brentwood County, Missouri, 1940.
• U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1898-1929, Robert Chester Lankford Jr., October 16, 1940.
• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Mendie Octavia Lankford.

John W. Lankford, a confederate soldier

John W. Lankford, son of William A. Lankford and Nancy Goodman, was born in Georgia about 1838. He was the oldest child of seven—John W. Lankford, Elizabeth Lankford, Charles L. Lankford, William Lankford, Robert Alonzo Lankford, Sarah W. Lankford, and Mary Frances Lankford. John would be my 1st cousin 4x removed with our near common relatives being Charles L. Lankford and Miss Moore. His father was the brother of James Meriweather Lankford, my 3rd great grandfather.

On October 19, 1850, John and his family lived in 165th District of Greene County, Georgia. His father was a farmer. Both his father and mother were able to read and write, however, none of the children could.

On June 4, 1860, John, age 22, lived alone in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia. He was employed as a grocer with a personal estate valued at $600. The country was in turmoil and within two weeks after the American Civil War started on April 12, 1861, John enlisted in Penfield on April 24 by Capt. R. L McWhorter as a Private in Company C of the Dawson Grays, Third Georgia Infantry Regiment. John was not the only Lankford in Company C—his brother Charles Lankford and uncles James and Curtis Lankford enlisted as well. Less than a month after the war began, John mustered into service at Augusta, Georgia on May 3, 1861 by Capt. R. G. Cole, the same day Company C left for Portsmouth, Virginia. John most likely participated in the Battle of South Mills that took place in Camden County, North Carolina on April 19, 1862. As happened with many soldiers, John became sick and was admitted to a hospital in Richmond, Virginia on June 14, 1862. Whatever the illness was, he wasn’t able to recover and died while still in the hospital that summer. I found conflicting dates for his death however. I originally thought he died on October 6, 1862, the date the Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861-1865 shows he mustered out. Then I recently found a news article published by the Weekly Chronicle and Sentinel in Augusta, Georgia on December 9, 1862 noting he died of disease at a Richmond hospital on July 31, 1862. His service record, however, shows that he died on August 4, 1862. I would think that the service record would be more accurate than a newspaper article so feel that his death occurred in August. The paperwork probably didn't catch up until October 6 which would account for the date he mustered out being listed on the index. A burial location is not noted on any record but I assume he was buried in a cemetery there in Richmond. John was 24-years-old at the time of his death. William A. Colclough, of Greene County, was named administrator of his estate. 

Weekly Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia, December 9, 1862

References

• Battle of South Mills; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_South_Mills.
• Deaths in the Third Georgia Regiment, Company C, Dawson Grays, Penfield, GA, Weekly Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia, December 9, 1862.
• John W. Lankford, Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia.
• Letters of Administration Notice, Weekly Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia, September 23, 1862.
• List of Patients in the Georgia Hospitals at Richmond, VA, Weekly Constitutionalist, Augusta, Georgia, July 2, 1862.
• U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles.
• U.S. Federal Census, 165th District, Greene County, Georgia, 1850.
• U.S. Federal Census, Penfield, Greene County, Georgia, 1860.